Gifts and wishes
Once you know what you want to leave and to whom, the wording matters. These guides cover specific gifts, cash legacies, what happens if an item no longer exists, and funeral wishes.
Reviewed by the Estate Advisory Group editorial teamLegally reviewed: 13 August 2026Last updated: 13 August 2026
- Leaving Jewellery in a WillJewellery is easy to leave badly and easy to leave well, if you describe it properly.
- Leaving a Car in a WillA car can be left as a specific gift, but only the car you actually own at death.
- Leaving Family Heirlooms in a WillHeirlooms cause more family disputes than almost anything else in an estate. Clear wording prevents most of it.
- Leaving Specific Gifts in a WillUnderstanding specific gifts helps you avoid the most common drafting mistakes in a will.
- Leaving Cash Gifts in a WillA cash gift is usually more reliable than a gift of an item, but it still needs careful wording.
- Can I Leave Different Gifts to Different People?You have complete freedom to leave different things to different people, provided you say so clearly.
- What Happens if an Item I Leave in My Will No Longer Exists?If a specifically gifted item is gone by the time you die, the gift usually fails. This is called ademption.
- What Happens if I Sell a House Mentioned in My Will?Selling a house named specifically in your will generally means that gift no longer works as intended.
- Should I Put My Funeral Wishes in My Will?Funeral wishes in a will are not legally binding, but recording and sharing them still matters.
- Can I Say Whether I Want Burial or Cremation in My Will?You can record a preference, but the final decision legally belongs to your executors.
- Can I Include Funeral Instructions in My Will?You can write detailed funeral instructions, but pairing them with a conversation is what really works.
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Other guidance
- Make a willEverything you need to make a will in England and Wales: what a will does, what it costs, whether you can write your own and what makes it legally valid.
- Signing and witnessingHow to sign and witness a will correctly in England and Wales, who can act as a witness and the mistakes that stop a will taking effect.
- Executors and beneficiariesChoosing executors, naming beneficiaries, leaving property, money and possessions, and what happens to a gift if a beneficiary dies before you.
- Wills and familyWills for parents, married and unmarried couples, mirror wills, guardians, and how marriage, divorce and separation affect an existing will.
- Will guidesWhat happens if you die without a will, the intestacy rules, when to update a will, how to change one and whether you need a solicitor.
- Inheritance and giftsWho you can leave your estate to, leaving everything to one person, unequal shares between children, grandchildren, friends and the age children inherit.
- Property and willsWhat happens to a home when you die: joint tenants and tenants in common, leaving your share, mortgages, and whether an unmarried partner inherits.
- What happens when you dieWhat happens to bank accounts, joint accounts, pensions, ISAs and savings when someone dies, and how a will changes who ultimately benefits.
- Tax and estatesInheritance tax and wills explained: the nil rate band, residence nil rate band, spouse and charity exemptions, gifts and who pays the tax.
- Digital assetsWhat happens to your phone, email, social media, photos, online accounts and cryptocurrency when you die, and how to cover them in your will.
- Pets and willsWhat happens to your pet when you die, how to include a pet in your will, leaving money for their care and gifts to animal charities.
- Business ownersMaking a will if you own a business: company shares, sole trader businesses, partnership interests and what happens when an owner dies.
- Life eventsWhen to make or update a will: buying a home, moving in together, marriage, a new baby, travelling abroad, retirement and later life.
- Online willsMaking a will online in England and Wales: what it costs, fixed fee will writing, online versus DIY wills, and how quickly you can get one done.
- Blended familiesWills for second marriages and blended families: stepchildren, children from a previous relationship, grandchildren and protecting a partner and children together.
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